Windows 10: Uninstall Product Key and Deactivate Windows 10

What you are referring to is for a full retail W8 license that has not been used to get and activate the free upgrade to Windows 10 offer. You basically traded in your W8 license for the free W10 upgrade.

The W8 license is linked to W10 and you get a digital license for W10 on Microsoft activation servers. You can only have W8 or free W10 activated with the product key (W8) or digital license (W10) on a PC and not both.

If you want to install and activate a retail W8 on a single PC with this W8 product key, then you will need to uninstall the free W10 or deactivate the W10 first. If this is an OEM W8, then you can only do this on the same PC it was originally installed on.

If you want to install the free W10 on a PC with its digital license, then you will need to uninstall W8 or deactivate the W8 first.

Microsoft knows what PC(s) you have them activated on since they must be activated by the Microsoft activation server. If you try to activate on more than one PC, then it gets flagged and denied.

 

It sounds like the key is gone for good if he didn't write it down somewhere.

Just to be clear, you can either deactivate or just uninstall/format the retail Windows from a PC to be able to reinstall it on another PC.

 

As long as your Retail key is only used on 1 computer at any given time, you will never have any issues with it activating windows, the worse case scenario is you`d have to make an automated phone call, which only takes a few minutes.

 

oh well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Ok I understand it now thanks for your help *Biggrin

 

right, gotcha thanks

 

Glad we could help. *Smile

 

Do you know how to remove embedded product key in the bios ?

 

I'm not aware of a way to do that, but you are able to change the product key in Windows 10 if needed.

 

Thanks any ways. I'm hoping to find how so in the bios ...

 

Need help
I clean install my windows 10 build 16299.125 and cannot active after using key and restore the spp/store folder
before I always succeed restore activation
I previously backed up my token store
there are three activations namely windows.office.visio.project
and it always works when I restore when doing a clean install
but somehow after i did clean install to 16299.125 my windows can not active.
only office.visio.project
I do not change hardware. and I am confused why only windows that just can not be active. while office.visio.project can be active
I have also done a backup on microsoft toolkit.opa backup and other software restore activation
but windows can't be active. and it seems my serial windows no longer valid. how to overcome this?

now i'm trying to install old version windows 10 build 16299.64 and 16299.15
whether windows updates can affect my windows activation
Multi-Quote This Message

 

Digital licences do not use the tokens.dat in SPP, it uses the one in ClipSVC.

Post the error in the activation thread.

 

That area of the Bios is read-only and cannot be changed.

 

Thanks for this and all the other tutorials - great job!.

I have just purchased a fairly new oem Win 10 laptop from an organisation and I think they have Reset the device (clean installed it) but the activation says 'Windows is activated by using your organisations Activation Service'.

I want to de-activate the laptop and re-activate it using the original onboard oem activation key and to clean install it for good measure.

Is this tutorial what I need to follow to de-activate the system and then when I do the Reset/Clean Install, it will pick up the correct oem activation key and activate the system.

I want to do this so I can personalise it and register the change of ownership with the manufacturer - especially as it has a transferable warranty.

Thank you.

 

Hello Ashley, *Smile

I would recommend to first use "ShowKeyPlus" to verify your OEM product key, and if it's for the same edition that you currently have installed.

*Arrow Find Product Key in Windows 10 Windows 10 Tutorials

If it checks out, you could just change your product key instead. No need to deactivate the other one.

*Arrow Change Product Key in Windows 10 Windows 10 Tutorials

 

Thanks Brink.
ShowKeyPlus shows a difference in the 'Installed Key' and the 'OEM Key'
The 'OEM Edition' is 'Win 10 RTM Professional OEM: DM' which is what I expect and is the OS version installed.

So, I can just go ahead and change the Product Key the system is currently activated with, to the 'OEM Key' by using that second link you gave me?

Once that's done, will it use that corrected product key to reactivate itself when I do any future clean installs?